Drawing pen having a device for feeding a writing liquid to the nibs thereof



June 9, 1959 W D. Y. Auscl-IERA DRAwING PEN HAVING A DEVICE FOR FREDING A WRITING LIQUID To THE NIBs IHRREOF Filed May 22, 1953 INVNTOR EL YVES AUSCH mtfufud, vfttolmey United States Patent DRAWING PEN HAVING A DEVICE FOR FEEDING A WRITING LIQUID T THE NIBS THEREOF Daniel Yves Auscher, Paris, France Application May 22, 1953, Serial No. 356,857

Claims priority, application France May 27, 1952 Claims. (Cl. 1Z0-42.6)

My invention has for its object an arrangement for feeding a writing liquid into writing instruments and particularly, although not exclusively, into drawing pens, such as are used in drawings for industrial purposes and allow executing lines having a uniform thickness.

One of the objects of my invention consists in providing a device feeding ink or the like writing liquid which, while being very simple in its operation, produces a regular, perfectly smooth automatic feed of a drawingpen or the like instrument, said ink being fed from a container housed inside the shank of the instrument.

A further object of my invention consists in an arrangement of the type disclosed that is of a simple structure and readily adaptable to very different kinds of inks and thicknesses of lines, without requiring any intricate adjustment or structural modication in the parts forming said arrangement.

My improved arrangement includes chielly, in association with the actual writing member, a rst duct member of a comparatively large diameter and a second duct member of a smaller diameter extending inside the first mentioned duct member and the diameter of which may be comparatively small, these two duct members opening at one end into the ink container and at the other end into proximity with the writing member.

In the particular case where the above disclosed arrangement serves for feeding a drawing pen, the two duct members are housed between the two blades forming the drawing pen; it is then of advantage to give them a flat shape, at least at their outer ends.

lf my improved arrangement is used for feeding the nib of a fountain pen, the ductmembers are housed inside the incurved part of the nib. The duct member having the smaller diameter opens preferably in the vicinity of the aeration port, generally provided in the pen.

Further features of my invention will appear in the reading of the following description, reference being made to accompanying drawings, given by way of example and by no means in a limiting sense, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my invention as applied to a drawing pen;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a further embodiment of my invention as applied to a fountain pen;

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of a modification of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of my invention illustrating a modified form of the writing iluid duct.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the shank 1 'of the drawing pen is hollow and thel chamber thus obtained, as shown at 2, forms the ink-container for the instrument. Said container may be closed at its upper end by a threaded plug 3. vIn the outlet end of the container, opposed to the plug 3, is screwed a terminal metal member 4 terminating with the usual blades 5 and 6. Said blades may be brought more or less close to yeach other or moved away from each other by acting 2,889,809 Patented June 9, 1959 on the strap 7 carrying on one arm a stud 8 adapted to engage a recess 9 provided in the outer surface of the blade 6, while the other arm of the strap carries a screw 10 having a milled head and engaging to an adjustable extent the other blade 5.

The terminal member 4 is provided, at its end opposed to the pen blades, with a bore 11 inside which is housed a sleeve 12. The actual ink-feeding means include two duct members 13 and 14. The duct member 13 the diameter of which is comparatively large, is frictionally slidable inside the sleeve 12, whereby its outer end 15 may be brought further from or closer to the tips 16 of the blades.

The duct member 14 extends inside the duct member 13 and is freely shiftable therein. The duct member 14 has a comparatively small diameter and may act as a capillary duct member with reference to the writing liquid that is to be used. The duct 14 may assume a closed circular cross-section as illustrated in Fig. 4 and designated by reference numeral 14; that is, it may be tubular, but, if so, it is provided with openings 30 in the part thereof lying inside the container 2' or else, as in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, its cross-section may assume substantially the shape of a U at least in the part extending inside the container. This duct member 14 extending at either end beyond the duct member 13 is freely shiftable with reference thereto and it carries with an easy t a sleeve 17 which, by reason of its engagement with the rear end of the duct member 13, limits the relative shifting between the front end 18 of the duct member 14 and the tips 16 of the pen blades, when these blades are moved away from each other as shown in Fig. l. When these blades are closer, as in a working position, the end V18 abuts against the tips 16 and, as it results from Fig. 1, there remains a free space between the sleeve 17 and the corresponding end of the duct member 13, so that the ink can always iiow.Y

In all cases, the ink can enter into the member 14, the latter being slotted or apertured beyond the sleeve 17.

It is of advantage to provide inside the container, between the plug 3 and the end of the duct member 14, a small mass 19 the weight of which is suiiicient during operation of the pen to produce a downward movement of the duct member 14 in a manner such that the front end 18 of said duct member may be as near as possible the tips 16 of the blade, taking into account the spacing between the latter. This mass 19 also prevents the duct member 14 from being shifted towards the bottom of the ink container.

The above described arrangement operates in the following manner:

The filling is first performed by unscrewing the actual drawing pen constituted by the member 4 and by pouring the liquid to be used into the chamber 2, e.g. by means of a dropper. After screwing the member 4 onto the container, with the blades projecting upwardly, the spacing between the blades is adjusted after the duct members 13 and14 have been shifted, if required. The blades are then brought nearer each other so as to lie at the desired spacing kand the instrument is returned into its normal position of use with the blades directed downwardly.`

It is found that the duct member 14 moves again under the action of the weight of the mass 19 and of the sleeve 17 so that its end 18 moves downwardly, as much as is practically possible, towards the tips 16 of the blades. The writing liquid flows out through its end 18 and its level stops generally at an intermediate location between the end 13 of the duct member 14 and the end -15 of the duct member 13 and may, in fact, reach the level of last mentioned end. It is then possible to 3 use the writing instrument and it is found that the level considered is substantially stable as long as the container 2 contains some liquid.

It is probable that air enters the inside of the container through the ductv member 13 gradually, while the liquid flows out through the duct member 14 without this hypothetical explanation constituting a limitation to my invention as defined in accompanying claims.

When the tips 16 of the blades 5 and 6 are wide apart and in particular, when their spacing is greater than the width of the end 18 of the duct member 14, it is possible to adjust the location of the sleeve 17 with reference to said duct member in a manner such that the outer end 18 of the latter may not project substantially beyond the tips 16 of the blades.

When the instrument is intended for the execution of very thick lines, it isv possible to alter the speed of the output by increasing the cross-section of the outer duct member 13 and/or the cross-section of the inner duct member 14. It is also possible to move the front end of the outer duct member nearer the tips of the blade. Such and similar modifications are to be resorted to as required by the physical characteristic properties of the writing liquid that is to be used.

In the embodiment of Fig. 2,I the ink-container of a fountain-pen is shown at 20 while the outer duct member 21 is frictionally fitted in the outlet end of the container and the inner duct member is shown at 22. The latter is preferably bent at 23, so as to open in the immediate vicinity of the inner surface of the nib, preferably near the opening 24 that is generally provided in the latter. This nib is mounted in the usual manner at the end of the member 25 screwed into the container wall between the latter and the duct member 21.

It is unnecessary to enter into any further detail relating to this latter embodiment which, except for the details which have thus been described, is substantially identical with the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 1 and operates in the same manner.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3, the duct member 26 which plays the same part as the duct members 13 and 21 in the two first embodiments, is made of yielding material and comes substantially into contact with the nib 27 through a part of its outer surface. This nib may itself be extremely yielding. The duct member 26 is provided preferably with an opening 28, in substantial registry with which the inner duct member 29 terminates, said inner duct member playing the same part as the duct member 14 in Fig. 1. The duct member 26 has its end bevelled.

The arrangement is mounted at the end of the container in the same manner as in the embodiment of Fig. 2.

The embodiments of my invention which have just been described are obviously given by way of mere exemplications and of course, any detail modifications may be brought thereto without thereby unduly widening the scope of my invention. In particular, the sleeve 12. and the duct member 13 may project to a lesser extent inside the container.

What I claim is:

l. In a drawing pen including two spaced blades, the combination of a hollow shank forming an ink-container, a tail-piece screwed into said shank and carrying the blades and enclosing a channel connecting said container with the gap between the blades, a sleeve fitted inside said channel, a first duct member frictionally fitted inside said sleeve and projecting slightly beyond said sleeve into the container, a second duct member extending inside the rst duct member to move freely therein, projecting beyond said first duct member into the container and the cross-section of which second duct member assumes the shape of a U, a second sleeve frictionally fitted over said second` duct member adapted to engage the end of said first duct inside the container to limit downward movement of the second duct member, one end of the inner duct member opening in close proximity with the forward ends of the blades and one end of the outer duct member opening at a small distance to the rear of said blade ends, the opposite ends of both duct members opening into the container, a two-arm strap on the outside of the blades and an adjustable screw passing through one of. the arms of the strap and engagingV the outer surface of one of the blades to define its spacing with reference to the other blade and a small mass freely mounted inside thecontainer between the end of the inner duct member and the upper end of the container.

2. In a drawing pen including two spaced blades, the combination of a, hollow shank forming @an ink-container, a tail-piece screwed into said shank and carrying the blades and enclosing a channel connecting said container with the gap between said blades, a sleeve fitted inside said channel, a first duct member frictionally fitted inside said sleeve and slidably adjustable therein to vary the distance of the end thereof from the ends of said blades and' projecting-beyond the channel into said container, a second duct member extending inside the first duct member to move freelyV therein and projecting beyond said first duct member into saidcontainer, and a sleeve frictionally fitted over said second ductmemberl *adapted to engage the end of said first duct member' inside said container to limit downward movement of said second duct member, the lower end of said second duct member opening in close proximity with the forward ends of said blades and the lower end of said first ductmember opening -a small distance tothe rear of' said blade ends, and the opposite ends of' both of said duct members opening into the container.

3. A drawing pen according to claim 2 wherein the second. duct member assumes a substantialy U-shaped cross-sectional configuration.

4. A drawing pen. according to claim 2 wherein said second duct member is provided with lateral ports opening in said container beyond the end of said rst duct member.

5. In a; drawing pen including two spaced blades, the combination ofja hollow shank forming an ink-container, a tail-piece screwed into` said shank and carrying the blades andL enclosing a channel connecting said container with the gap between said` blades, la first duct member frictionally fitted inside said tail-piece and slidably adjustable therein to vary the distance of the end thereof from the ends of said blades and projecting beyond the channel into said container, and a second duct member extending inside the first duct' member to move freely therein fand projecting beyond said first duct member-into said container, the lower end of said second duct member opening in close proximity with the forward ends of said blades andthe lower end of` said rst duct member opening a small distancetov the rear of said blade ends, and the opposite ends of both of said duct members opening into the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 435,900 Moore Sept. 2, 1890 467,785 Walke Jan. 26, 1892 1,019,196 Smith Mar.- 5, 1912 1,351,873 Sanford Sept. 7, 1920 1,569,594 Van Doorn Jan. 12', 1926 1,810,788 Ramos- June 16, 1931 2,642,043 Miessner c June 16, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,733 Great Britain of 1896 21,631 Great` Britain of 1908 115,784 Sweden Feb. 5, 1946 519,420 Belgium May 15, 1953 ...nf we, 

